I couldn’t take it. Looking at the crocheted Wisteria wreath every time I opened the front door, I couldn’t take the tri-colored “blooms”. I made more light purple elements and replaced the multi-colored ones.
Now to see how it weathers.
Here is the finished brioche knit cowl that I made with yarn that had a long color shift. I absolutely love the play of color that appeared by knitting it from opposite ends of the same pull skein.
The yarn was two ply with each ply a separate color, so some sections were solid color, but others were purple and gray, or blue and purple, and the colored sections were long. As I was rolling up the yarn into two separate balls, I did find some knots from the manufacturer that put an abrupt color change in the yarn. I reknotted those sections to different areas of the yarn that had a closer match. It pays to rewind commercially spun long repeat yarn to check for inappropriate color changes due to knots.
I tried again with the ombre brioche cowl, after I bound off my first botched attempt. This time instead of working from the inside and outside of the commercial pull skein, I divided the yarn into two nostepinne wound balls.
Because each ball will slowly change color as I knit, I marked ball “B” with a blue stitch marker so I could keep track of which one I was working with.
Brioche takes longer because each row is passed over twice: once to knit every other stitch, once to purl every other stitch, slipping the unstitched loops with an added yarn over, but I am quite pleased with the way the color changes play against each other in the fabric.
In June 2017 I used up leftover acrylic yarn to make several baby hats.
The pattern is:
Row 1: In a magic circle make a standing double crochet (sdc), then double crochet (dc) 9 into the circle, slip stitch (ss) to sdc (10 stitches total).
Row 2: sdc, dc in same space, 2dc in each stitch, ss to sdc (20 stitches total).
Row 3: sdc, dc in same space, dc in next stitch, *2dc in next stitch, dc in next stitch*, repeat around, ss to sdc (30 stitches total).
Row 4: sdc, dc in same space, dc in next stitch twice, *2dc in next stitch, dc in next stitch twice*, repeat around, ss to sdc (40 stitches total).
Row 5-8: sdc, dc around (40 stitches total).
Row 9: *skip 1 stitch, 5dc in same space, skip 1 stitch, single crochet in next stitch*, repeat around, tie off, weave in end (10 shells.)
I did a pattern test, and have to admit that it took me a couple tries. Counting stitches from a picture isn’t always easy.
I’ve been collecting patterns from Wool & Pine that use 1×1 color work. I put my toe in the water using scrap acrylic yarn: a variegated green/tan/black as the main color and then sun and sky colors (blue, white, gray, yellow, orange) for the secondary colors.
I love the look of the broken horizontal stripes, it isn’t hard, but it isn’t fast. I don’t like the large number of yarn ends and dealing with them at the end of the project. Full disclosure, on this project I didn’t neaten them, just tied knots and left the fringe inside. I
t does make a thicker fabric, which isn’t ideal here in Texas. I do want to use the technique for a larger project, but ideas are still brewing.
Critters and Craft 